Little Wonders
by hpliveson535
Summary: A story based on the song "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas set in a post war/ 8th year Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy returns to school at his mother's insistence where he meets a vivacious exchange student from America that manages to forget his past and give him a new future all by just giving him the one thing that he lacks- love. Draco M/OC Ron W/Hermione G
1. Chapter 1

__Chapter 1

_Let it go_

_Let it roll right off your shoulder_

_Don't you know_

_That the hardest part is over_

Draco Malfoy was early.

He was always early to nearly everything in his life- appointments, classes, and now, his first day of 8th year. Although he hadn't wanted to return when Hogwarts had decided to offer an 8th year to all students whose previous year had been interrupted by the war, his mother had insisted. Draco had argued that it was completely unnecessary- he and his mother were both set for life through the family fortune- but Narcissa had implored it of him, although he hadn't the faintest idea why.

He avoided the train at all costs- it was a small, enclosed area where he would have to face many of his classmates from the past. Draco figured that the large, public Great Hall was a much safer place to get reacquainted. Instead he had Apparated to the gates with his mother and had walked into the newly remodeled castle. It would be hours before the other students arrived. This was good- he liked it that way. Hogwarts was much more peaceful this way, he thought- that is, until something ran full-on into him at light speed.

Katelyn Williams was late.

She wasn't usually late, but she figured navigating a new country for the first time gave her a bit of an excuse. Her portkey from the United States had taken her to the Knight Bus's pickup station, but the bus had been late. Then, Katelyn got lost trying to find her carriage that was supposed to be waiting for her with the groundskeeper, Hagrid- whatever kind of name that was- and she had had to walk, dragging all of her things into the castle.

Finally, she had found Headmistress McGonagall's office, where she gave Katelyn a private "sorting", some thing where a large, ugly old hat read your mind and then placed you into a group of students that was like her. Katelyn thought it was rather creepy. She had been sorted into Ravenclaw and then given her dorm assignment and her schedule. The classes sounded similar to those that were offered at Critten's School of Magic, but Hogwarts had an impressive reputation and Katelyn was excited to begin her classes. She had just placed her things into her dorm when she decided to explore for a bit before all of the other students arrived. She grabbed her schedule and the directions that McGonagall had given her and walked out of her dorm. No sooner had she done so than a shrill voice sounded above her head.

"Oh, do we have a new student here?" A translucent, ghostly figure asked, floating by her.

"Oh, hello! Yes, my name is Katelyn and"

"Oh, did I make it seem like I cared? I just wanted to give you a not so warm welcome!" The ghost cried with an evil grin. With a wave of his arm, ice cubes appeared out of nowhere and began to pelt themselves at her. Katelyn shrieked and immediately began running in the other direction. She made two right turns, then turned her head quickly to see if she'd lost him. Well, she had, but she immediately ran right into someone, knocking them over and dropping her papers everywhere. What a great start, Katelyn thought.

"I am so sorry! Let me help you up!" A voice cried, clearly distressed. Draco felt a soft hand grip his arm and help him to his feet. When he finally stood up, Draco got a good look at exactly who had knocked him down in the first place. A tall girl he did not recognize stood before him, looking extremely worried. "I was running from this ghost- he started throwing ice at me and I just wasn't looking where I was going. Are you OK?"

"That must have been Peeves the Poltergeist. He's not exactly the friendliest ghost." Draco replied.

"Really, I am so, so sorry, I think I have some painkilling potion in my purse, I could go get it!" She said, watching him carefully with big, navy eyes. They were an exceptionally interesting shade, Draco thought, just a little too dark to be truly pretty but more entrancing than plain blue as well. He also noticed her American accent and lack of robes and figured she must be new. This thought filled him with a strange hope.

"I'm fine, thank you. Are you a new student?" He asked a bit stiffly. Chances were she would recognize him once he introduced himself.

"Did my accent give me away?" She asked with a smile on her lips, those enormous pools of navy sparkling at him.

"Just a bit," he admitted.

"Well, I'm Katelyn Williams. I'm from America. I think I'm the first foreign exchange student that Hogwarts has ever had, and I'm a little lost." She said, laughing. It was infectious, and Draco cracked a small smile. "Do you think you could show me where the Potions room is? I'm trying to find all of my classes for tomorrow."

"Um, I guess. Sure." Draco replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He had not really talked to anyone except his mother since the war had ended and he was definitely out of practice of talking to girls.

"I just realized that I didn't catch your name," Katelyn said, giving him a side-glance. Draco gulped.

"I'm Draco. Draco…Malfoy" he said finally. He waited for the glimmer of recognition and then that of disgust, but it never came.

"God, I love all of the names over here. Yours sounds so…regal. Mine sounds like I should probably be shucking corn or baling hay or something," she said smiling while he looked at her in confusion. "You probably don't know what shucking corn is," she realized, laughing again. Draco listened as she explained and smiled as they walked to the Potions room, feeling his discomfort melt away, and finally disappear.

Draco walked Katelyn around the school as she tried not to say anything completely and utterly stupid. She could feel herself babbling as this quiet, blonde Adonis led her around the school. Katelyn had been a bit nervous when she recognized him after she helped him up, but had felt her heart melt as she saw the completely nervous look in his eyes as he struggled to tell her his name. He was very polite and gentlemanly, opening every door for her and telling her all of the secrets to the school. Katelyn's parents had always taught her not to judge anyone and to help those who needed it- and she had kept it up even after what happened. The only thing that Katelyn knew was that Draco Malfoy definitely needed a friend.

"So what's your favorite class here?" Katelyn asked. Draco had been slowly opening up as they walked around and she wanted to know more about him.

"Well, I liked Potions… my godfather taught Potions here for a long time. He died in the war last year, though." Draco replied, looking at the ground. Impulsively, Katelyn grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry to hear that. We all lost someone." Katelyn said, quickly dropping his hand.

"How was the war? In America, I mean." He asked.

"Well, there are less witches and wizards in America- there's a lot of muggles. So Death Eaters were coming and rounding people up, burning down buildings, stuff like that. We fought back the best we could, but it was hard. There were so many lost." Katelyn said. She smiled. "But let's talk about something better. What house are you in?"

"Slytherin," Draco replied, slightly ashamed.

"Cunning and ambitious." Katelyn replied, smiling slyly. "Or at least what that creepy old hat told me."

"The Sorting Hat is not creepy!" Draco protested, laughing. "It's wise! What are you? Not a Hufflepuff, I hope." He said, smiling.

"Oh, so you think I'm a chump? That's where the Hufflepuffs go, right? So I belong in chumpy Hufflepuff?" She teased.

"No! Better a Hufflepuff than a bloody Gryffindor, anyway. They act first, think later. A little too rash for me, I think."

"I'm in Ravenclaw, I'll have you know. What do you have to say about that?" She asked with a smile.

"It's…surprising. Most Ravenclaws are a little…boring." Draco said, hiding a smile.

"So I'm not boring?" Katelyn asked.

"Not in the slightest." Draco replied, and gave Katelyn a smile that thrilled her.

Finally, after hours of wandering and talking, it was nearly 4:45. Since all of the other students were arriving at 5, Katelyn told Draco she wanted to change into her robes and get ready.

"I'll see you at the feast, though." Katelyn said.

"Right, of course. Well, I guess I'll see you around." Draco said, disappointed. Once the other students got ahold of her and told her what he was, there was no way that she would want to see him again.

"Yeah. Draco?" She said, turning back to look at him. "The worst part is over. Remember that." He figured she was talking about the war. He gave her a small smile.

"Thank you."

"And Draco? Don't be a stranger. It would be nice to see a friendly face once in a while." Katelyn replied, smiling at him before turning into the Ravenclaw dorms. Draco smiled and took his spot at the Slytherin table with some of the returning classmates that were already making their way there. It had definitely been a different day with than Draco had predicted. Even if they never spoke again, Draco thought, he would never forget the funny, interesting girl from America that had given him a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey, you guys! (If there are any of you out there!) This is my very first story so please please PLEASE review! I'll be updating pretty much weekly on the weekend, possibly more if I have a day off from school somewhere in between! Also, a special shoutout to Cynthia for being my first ever review! Yay! Thanks so much for reading, and without further blabber from me, here's chapter two :)

_Let it in_

_Let your clarity define you_

_In the end_

_We will only just remember how it feels_

Katelyn Williams's day was not going as well as she had hoped.

It was going better. She had been afraid that everyone would be depressed from the war, but it seemed as though people wanted to forget and move on. That was good- Katelyn had some things that she wanted to move on from as well. Also, she was afraid that people were going to treat her weirdly because she was from America. McGonagall had made a quick announcement to all of the students after the Sorting the night before to announce that Katelyn was from America and that she was here to study with them. However, most people had seemed friendly and welcoming, and she already felt at home.

The classes were completely enthralling, and Katelyn threw herself into them wholeheartedly. She enjoyed difficult classes that most people would despise and excelled at all of them. Katelyn had just finished up lunch before heading to her Ancient Runes class with the Gryffindors. Even though it was twenty minutes before the class started, there were already three people in there- three people that she recognized instantly. She smiled at them as she quickly sat down at a seat near the front of the classroom.

"Are you the new student from America? Sorry to be rude, it's just so interesting there!" A girl with curly brown hair asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I am. And don't worry about it, everyone's been asking. I'm Katelyn Williams." She replied.

"I'm Hermione Granger. This is my boyfriend, Ron Weasley, and our friend Harry Potter." She replied. The two boys behind her smiled and said hello. "So how are you liking Hogwarts?"

"It's pretty amazing- my old school was really small, so this castle and all of these students is absolutely breathtaking." Katelyn responded. The girls chatted aimlessly until more students began to arrive and Hermione retreated to the back of the class with the boys. Katelyn watched the desks around her begin to fill up and was afraid that she would be left without a desk partner.

Draco Malfoy's day was not going as poorly as he had thought it would.

It was going worse. Most students were avoiding him like the plague and he hadn't talked to anyone but his teachers all day. At least he wouldn't have anything to distract him from getting the grades he would need to please his mother. Draco had skipped lunch and gone to the library to read, and now it was time for Ancient Runes. He did not expect to have anyone to sit with in the class- most of his old friends had either not come back or were no longer speaking to him.

"Draco!" Katelyn's cheery American accent surprised him when he walked into the classroom. "I'm so glad we have a class together! Do you want to sit with me?" She asked. "I was so worried that I was going to have to sit alone," she confessed, giving him a relieved smile.

"Me too," he replied, and slid his books down on the table. He hesitated before sitting down. "Are you sure you want me to sit here?"

"Of course I want you to sit here! Unless you don't want to! Don't feel like you have to sit here," she said, looking dejected.

"Of course I want to sit here," he said, smiling at her. He became nervous as to what he would have to do. He didn't want to alienate her from the rest of her classmates without her knowing why. "I was just worried that- well, Katelyn, I don't know exactly how to say this, but last year, during the war, I was-"

"Draco." She interrupted. "I knew who you were the first moment that I saw you. What's in the past is in the past- no one can change it, so no one should live in it. Now, please don't make me sit alone," She said with a smile. He looked at her incredulously and took a seat next to her, unable to keep a smile off of his face.

The more time Draco spent with Katelyn, the more he liked her. He liked the way that she kept her slightly curly light-brown hair natural instead of using a straightening charm on it. He liked the way that she didn't judge him- or anyone, really- about things that had happened in the past. He really liked how she was smart, but not in a bragging way like Granger. While Granger's hand instantly shot into the air like a rocket as soon as the professor asked if anyone had translated the rune, Katelyn's stayed safely at her side most of the time, even though the rune was meticulously translated on her notebook. Draco noticed that when Professor Babbling was explaining the homework, instead of complaining like all of the other students, Katelyn simply wrote the assignment in her notebook with a satisfied look on her face.

"I'm absolute rubbish at Ancient Runes; do you think you could help me with my translations?" Draco asked hopefully. Katelyn's face broke out into a huge smile.

"Of course! How about we meet in the Great Hall right after dinner and then we can go to the library?" she asked.

"Sounds good," Draco agreed as he gathered his books to go to his next class, already looking forward to the next time he would see her.

When it was time for dinner, Katelyn nervously scanned the tables for somewhere to sit. Originally, there had been four tables for each of the four houses, but in an effort to create House Unity, there were many tables where anyone could sit.

"Katelyn! Would you like to sit with us?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I would love to! Thank you so much!" Katelyn replied as she followed Hermione over to a table in the corner. She sat down in an unoccupied chair as Hermione introduced her to the group.

"Well, you met Ron and Harry before, but this is Neville, Seamus, Ginny, Dean, and Hannah." Hermione said, pointing out each person. Katelyn said hello to each member of the group and smiled.

"So what did you think of Ancient Runes, Katelyn?" Harry asked. "I can't stand it."

"Ancient Runes is actually one of my favorite subjects," Katelyn said, smiling. "Second only to Transfiguration."

"Bloody hell, we've got another one that actually likes her classes! She's just like you Hermione!" Ron said good-naturedly as they all laughed.

"In America, we call people who like school "nerds"" Katelyn said. "I guess we would classify."

"Ooh, say more things like an American!" Hannah said.

"Yeah, your accent really is quite lovely." Ginny replied.

"I've never been around people who think I have an accent before," Katelyn said, laughing. They compared ways of talking for the rest of the meal until it was time for Katelyn to go meet Draco. "Well, thank you so much for inviting me to eat with you- I had a great time. I've got to go meet Draco now though, we're studying in the library."

"Draco Malfoy? Why are you studying with him?" Hermione asked, not even trying to hide her disgust.

"Well we met yesterday before everyone else got here- I think he's very nice." Katelyn said.

"He's evil. Pure evil." Ron replied. "He's been bothering us ever since first year. He's no good."

"Can't say anyone really has anything positive to say about Malfoy," Neville admitted. Katelyn bit her lip and shrugged, trying to shake off any doubts she had.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow, then. Bye," Katelyn said, turning and walking away. She met Draco at the exit of the Great Hall and they began to walk to the library.

"Met some of the Gryffindors, I see?" Draco said, giving her a smirk.

"They all seem nice! I just ate dinner with them. They were all very welcoming." Katelyn argued.

"Well, I'm sure they said some very nice things about me." Draco said, looking carefully at her face.

"It doesn't matter what they said. I try to make my own opinions about people," Katelyn said.

"And what's your opinion of me?" Draco asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

"I don't share them!" She admonished him, laughing. "But I will give you a hint- you're doing pretty well in my book." She said, giving him a smile. This time he was unable to wipe the smirk off of his face as he opened the door to the library for her. You're doing better than you know, thought Katelyn as she grinned despite all of her previous doubts. Far better than she'd hoped.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading! Please review! I would love to get a couple of reviews before I update the next chapter just to know what everyone is thinking!

_Let it slide_

_Let your troubles fall behind you_

_Let it shine_

_Until you feel it all around you_

Katelyn Williams loved to swim.

As much as Katelyn had absolutely adored her past three weeks at Hogwarts, she had really missed not being able to swim. Back in America, Katelyn had been on a Muggle team and was pretty good, too. But here, the only body of water larger than a bathtub was the Black Lake, and not even Katelyn wanted to swim badly enough to dip a toe into that. So she had devised a plan.

It was really crazy, and Katelyn could understand McGonagall's reluctance to it. Transfiguring one small section of the Black Lake into a small, chlorinated pool to swim in did sound like an impossible task. But after Katelyn had transfigured it without even the blink of an eye, McGonagall had allowed it- provided that she put it back the way it was. The Giant Squid really was partial to his lake, after all.

So there she was, at 7 o'clock in the morning, trekking outside in the chilly air to swim laps before classes. She had grabbed a bit of breakfast and would make sure to leave herself plenty of time to eat and get dressed before she had to be in Potions. She dove in and began to swim; feeling like now, everything at Hogwarts was absolutely perfect.

Draco Malfoy loved few things, and mornings were definitely not among them.

He had miraculously made the Slytherin Quidditch team- if only because Slytherins were excessively competitive and he was the best seeker they had. So now, every morning, he had to drag himself out of bed at 7:30, which gave him enough time to eat a small breakfast and get down to the Pitch before eight. When he arrived at around 7:50, a couple of the boys were high above the ground, sitting on their brooms and joking around. Draco decided to fly up to see what all of the fuss was about.

"She looks bloody fantastic! Can't believe I didn't notice her before," remarked a 5th year.

"Very fit. I'm going to talk to her." One brave 6th year decided. He was about to go, with his friends egging him on in the background, when Draco asked what they were talking about.

"There's this girl down there- swimming in the Black Lake, well, not really, but anyway- and she's bloody gorgeous. We've been watching her get out for a while now. Hardy's going to go talk to her." One of them filled Draco in.

"Like hell he is!" Draco replied once he got an eyeful of who they were looking at.

Once Draco got closer, it was almost justifiable for the boys to be looking at Katelyn. Almost. Merlin though, she looked fantastic. Even in a one-piece bathing suit, he could see her figure- curvy, with very strong looking muscles running up and down her body, but not in a gross way. She looked healthy- like she wasn't afraid to eat once in a while.

"For Merlin's sake Katelyn, put some clothes on!" Draco hissed as he approached her. She jumped a bit at the sound of his voice.

"Draco! You scared me! I was just swimming- like the Black Lake?" She asked with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure what you did is impossible, but that's not why I'm over here!" Draco replied, stomping his foot impatiently. "The Slytherin Quidditch team is practicing right now and they can all see you from the pitch." She shrugged and slipped on a sweatshirt and some pants over her swimsuit.

"It's just a one piece." She replied. "I'm exercising."

"Well, it's just- you just look…very good," Draco finished sheepishly.

"So that's why you're over here." Katelyn said, smiling. "I was setting you up to be the good guy here- protecting my virtue. But now I find out that you just wanted a better look." She said teasingly, whacking him with her towel.

"Hey, I was being the hero! That 6th year, Hardy, was going to come talk to you!" Draco protested, grinning.

"Oh, so you're jealous! That's it!" Katelyn replied triumphantly.

"You're cheeky this morning- that's it, you're going in." Draco said, lifting Katelyn up over his shoulder.

"Draco- Draco I'm sorry! You're my hero I swear! Just put me down!" She begged as he held her over the pool. His face was serious, but his eyes sparkled with humor.

"Sorry isn't good enough," he said simply, and dropped her in. She squealed as she fell into the pool and Draco laughed long and hard, like he always did with her. Soon she had pulled him in and they were laughing and looking at each other, soaking wet and splashing, and then their eyes met. Suddenly, Draco wanted to kiss her- right then and there. He leaned in, and she smiled, but not the big, grinning smiles, one of her shy, quiet smiles and Draco thought he liked those the best and then she bit her lip, and-

"Malfoy! Get out of the water! Practice started ten minutes ago!" a voice roared from the Quidditch Pitch.

"Oh no, I made you late!" Katelyn fretted, hopping out of the pool and helping Draco out as well. She performed a simple drying spell on both of them, and then they were both back in dry clothes and looking at each other. Draco grabbed his broom and almost took off, but then thought better of it.

"Can I pick you up for dinner today? I'll get something from the kitchens." He asked. She smiled nervously and nodded. "I'll see you later." He replied, and flew away.

Katelyn was giddy with happiness. As soon as Draco was gone she hopped out of the pool, slipped her clothes on, and transfigured the Black Lake with a wave of her wand. Walking quickly, she began to think about what she had agreed to that night. She was having dinner with Draco Malfoy- essentially the man of her dreams. He was funny as hell, intelligent and witty, honest to a fault, and devastatingly handsome. But then there was the small doubt that always lingered in her mind- that maybe Draco really did believe what he had fought for during the war. Katelyn struggled with the thoughts of what her parents would say if they knew she was going on a date with a Death Eater- but then again, she would never know. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she resolved to simply enjoy the day with Draco.

"What's got you so happy?" Ginny Weasley asked, laughing as she caught up with Katelyn's quick step into the castle.

"No judgment?" Katelyn asked nervously. Ginny nodded. "Draco and I are having dinner together tonight."

"Well sometimes you guys sit at each others' tables. It's no big deal." Ginny said, shrugging.

"No, I mean we're eating dinner… together. He's getting some food from the kitchens and we're going to have dinner alone." Katelyn admitted.

"I'm not going to say exactly what I want to because I promised no judgment but… Katelyn, he's dangerous! He nearly killed Dumbledore! He's dueled to kill Harry more than once, and he was in Voldemort's inner circle. You're so new and you have this great view of people, but you can't be naïve. He's scary and you don't know what he can do to you. It makes me nervous that you're actually excited about being alone with him."

"But haven't you ever just wanted to be with someone all of the time, and it doesn't matter what happens when you're not together, because when you are it's just the best time?" Katelyn asked, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes.

"Katelyn, I'm not saying this to be mean. I just don't want you falling for him based on his looks and this personality that he invents." Ginny replied soothingly.

"I just need some time to think." Katelyn said finally, retreating to the Ravenclaw common room. With all remnants of her good mood gone, she sat down in a plushy chair in the seemingly empty common room and began to cry.

"Have the Nargles got you?" asked a wispy voice from the other side of the room. Luna Lovegood's platinum blonde head appeared from underneath the curtains. "You see, I was just looking for some wrackspurts."

"That's nice, Luna, but I'm a bit in over my head right now." Katelyn said, wiping her eyes.

"You know, sometimes people who mean very well give advice about things that they don't really know very much about," Luna said airily. Katelyn gave her a strange look, and she continued. "What's in your heart is the most important thing. Sometimes your brain needs a break, and that's when your heart kicks in. And sometimes your heart is wrong and it needs your brain, but sometimes your heart finds something great that your brain wouldn't have originally found. And in these cases, you should chase after that thing and not take it for granted. Understand?" Luna asked with a kind smile.

"I think so," Katelyn replied slowly. "Thanks, Luna."

"Could you shut the light on the way up? It scares away the wrackspurts." Luna replied.

"Sure," Katelyn replied as she headed up to her dorm room.

Draco was walking to Ancient Runes when he was cornered by none other than the Golden Trio.

"Look Malfoy, we've got to talk," Potter began seriously. Draco nearly rolled his eyes but managed to keep his composure. He nodded, as to let them get on with it.

"We know that you're having dinner with Katelyn tonight. You have to stop! She's younger and she doesn't know what you did in the past. It's not fair to her to keep that from her." Granger cried.

"We're not asking you to not be friends with her- obviously, she wants that. But don't get involved with her. You'll just break her heart- or worse." Potter finished darkly. After a moment, they all looked at him expectantly. He just sighed and continued walking to class.

"You're not going to say anything?" the Weasel asked, confused.

"If I don't have to explain to her, then I certainly don't have to explain to you." Draco replied before continuing on his way. When he arrived in class Katelyn was already sitting in their seat, working on the runes that Professor Babbling had put on the board. He gave her a smile before sliding in next to her. Just seeing her there made him feel guilty.

"Hey, about tonight-" They both said at the same time, then laughed together.

"You first," Draco said, giving her a chance to say what she wanted before he would tell her if she didn't want to go, she didn't have to.

"What time are you picking me up?" She asked with a smile, and Draco felt a weight drop off of his shoulders.

"Is six good?" He asked.

"Six is perfect," she confirmed, and continued translating her rune with a smile on her face.

Draco was always early, but if this eagle knocker didn't open for him soon, he was going to be late. Finally, a couple of fourth years solved the riddle and, when he told them why he was there, warily let him in. He stood awkwardly in the common room until Katelyn came downstairs from the girl's dormitory. She looked stunning, as he'd expected. Her hair was a little curlier than usual, and she was wearing a bit of makeup, but nothing too heavy. Wearing a blue sundress and white sweater, she looked gorgeous.

"Sorry I'm late," Katelyn said. "I started doing my Ancient Runes homework and, well… you know how I get."

"Of course. It's fine. You look beautiful." Draco said honestly. Placing his arm around her waist, the two exited the common room.

"So where are we going?" Katelyn asked as the two turned the corner to go outside.

"You'll see." Draco said, smiling to himself as the two walked across the grounds. They reached the outer part of the Black Lake, which was obscured from view by some beautiful bushes and landscaping. It seemed like the place was meant to be secluded. Once they had rounded the corner, Katelyn saw a small table with three votive candles and flowers in the middle. With a wave of his wand Draco conjured up dinner, and looked at her eagerly. "Do you like it?" He asked, with a look of hope in his eyes so big that Katelyn just had to smile.

"Of course I love it. It's beautiful. You didn't have to do all of this." Katelyn replied, giving his hand a squeeze. They sat down for dinner, Draco watching Katelyn as she talked and never letting go of her hand. Her navy eyes glittered as she talked about school, Quidditch, and everything in between. And for once, Draco could think of a world after Hogwarts was over- one where he was around people that accepted him and where he could enjoy himself. A world with Katelyn in it. A world where everything was absolutely perfect. But, just for tonight, this one would do.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Drama :0 This chapter is a bit short but full of answers and drama! Thanks for reading guys, please review! I'm so busy and stressed and it would mean so much!

_And I don't mind_

_If it's me you need to turn to_

Katelyn Williams was missing.

Draco had been waiting for her in the Great Hall for breakfast like he did every day for almost thirty minutes and he was beginning to wonder if she had gotten an early start or had slept in. Either way, it was almost time for class so he grabbed his books and began walking to History of Magic.

"Draco!" called a voice. He turned around and there was a small group of Ravenclaws standing behind him. He walked over to them and they visibly tried not to cower in his presence.

"Did you call me?" He questioned. They remained silent for a moment, and then the one who he assumed was the leader spoke.

"You hang out with Katelyn Williams, right? Well, you see, she's just really upset- she's crying and no one knows why. And she's not getting up to go to class- and you know that she goes even when she's really sick. She won't talk to anyone and we were hoping that you would go talk to her." She finished meekly.

"Course." Draco said, and hurried off in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room. He knocked on the eagle knocker, which then gave him a riddle.

_Of no use to one ,Yet absolute bliss to two. The small boy gets it for nothing._

_The young man has to lie or work for it. The old man has to buy it. The baby's right, The lover's privilege, The hypocrite's mask. To the young girl, faith; To the married woman, hope;_

_To the old maid, charity. What am I?_

"A kiss." Draco replied without thinking. The door swung open and Draco jumped in, surprised. He walked over to the girls' dormitory. The portrait on the door looked at him severely.

"Are your intentions pure?" It asked him, looking him up and down. "Don't lie, I can tell."

"The purest." Draco said, without a hint of sarcasm. The portrait gave a sigh and allowed him to climb the stairs to the dormitory. He wandered around for a bit until he found the 7th year's room. Only one bed was still unmade and still contained it's inhabitant. Draco slowly walked over to the bed. "Katelyn? It's Draco." Katelyn quickly stirred.

"Hey, I'm fine. Really, I'm good- I'm just being stupid and stressed out. You're late to class. You should go." She said, her eyes red and her face wet with tears. She tried to give him a smile but looked absolutely miserable.

"Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily." Draco said, giving her a small smile. He sat down on the bed with her. "Do you want to talk? Or do you just want me to sit here with you for a little bit?"

"Just stay here with me." She said in a voice so small Draco's heart ached. They both laid down on the bed, his arms wrapped around her. They stayed silent for around five minutes.

"Can I see it?" She asked, breaking the silence. She swiveled around so that they were face to face.

"See what?" He asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Your arm." She said, without feeling. "I just can't believe that it's true until I see it with my own eyes."

"Do you really want to?" He asked. She nodded stonily, and without protesting he rolled up his sleeve and displayed the horrible black ink that was etched into his arm. She started to cry again and turned away from him. A feeling of dread filled his stomach.

"How can someone like you have something like that? Sometimes I can't figure out why things happen in this screwed up world." She said.

"I know this doesn't mean anything to you, nor should it, but I never wanted it. But that's no excuse. I was an absolute git. I was awful, really, until Potter saved my life during the war. I'll regret it for the rest of my life." Draco said regretfully.

"You know, the war in England was much better than the war in America." Katelyn said in a far away voice. "Here it was much more…manageable. There it was just… insanity. Schools were shut down, and we all just stayed at home and tried to keep the Death Eaters at bay. It started to get a little better, for a while, and one night I was at home with my parents. They're muggles, so someone always stayed with me at nights in case something happened. But that night my friend Devin was late. It was only about seven, so I wasn't worried. And that's when they came. It was three of them. I dueled them for a little while, but they were just so powerful." She said, and her voice caught. She took a momentary break, then continued. Draco was paralyzed with fear.

"So after they had my wand, they locked me in my bedroom. The leader came in and told me that they were going to kill my parents, but first they wanted them to hear the Death Eaters torture me. So they used the Cruciatus curse on me a couple of times, until I couldn't move anymore. Then one of them went into the other room with my parents and the other two of them raped me and yelled horrible things at me until I wished I were dead. And then I listened to them kill both of my parents. They left me there, just assuming I would die. Devin found me and brought me to St. Mungo's. That was a year ago, today. I've never gone back. I thought about it, but I can't. I can't live in that life anymore and remember what used to be there." She said. It was silent. Draco hadn't realized that they were both crying until he tasted the saltiness. He felt sick to his stomach. "You can leave now, if you want." She said, her voice catching on a sob.

"I'm- I'm not leaving you." Draco replied, his voice thick with regret. "This is all my fault, anyway. I'm part of the reason that this happened to you. Why do you even want to talk to me?"

"We're both broken." She said simply.

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry," Draco said as his eyes filled with tears. They both cried in silence, together for a while. "I should go. You shouldn't have to be here with me today. I'll go." He repeated.

"If you think it's your fault that they're gone, stay here with me." She said, tears running down her face. "You're all that I have here. Don't leave me today."

"If you don't want me to go, I'll never leave you." Draco replied, climbing back into bed with her. They curled together under the covers and Katelyn fell into a quiet, exhausted slumber while Draco sat awake, not sure if the guilt eating at his soul was something survivable.

Katelyn woke up to Draco playing with her hair. She tried to remember why her eyes were sore and why Draco was in her bed when it all came back to her. Why had she been so stupid? This was far too overwhelming for him to handle- but he was still here, so that was a good sign. She moved a little bit, and he sat up.

"You're awake." He said seeming a bit embarrassed. She looked at him and felt terrible- he looked so absolutely sad. This was why she didn't tell many people what happened to her.

"Yeah." She said, feeling awkward. It wasn't every day that she bore her soul to someone.

"Do you want me to have someone go get your assignments?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, that would be really nice. I don't want to fall behind." Katelyn said, beginning to worry.

"Please, you're ages ahead of everyone else." Draco said, smiling. "I'll owl Granger and ask her if she can bring our assignments up."

"You missed all of your classes today! You shouldn't have stayed for so long." Katelyn admonished.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I think that you're more important than learning about the History of Magic and Ancient Runes." Draco said. Then he became serious. "Look, I want to talk to you. Being here with you today makes me realize that I…want to be with you like I haven't wanted to be with someone in a while. You walk around every day and you're just so- so nice, and I never thought I wanted someone like that, but I realize now that I do. And I can't believe with all that happened to you that you can even stand to be around me, much less want to talk to me and are nice to me even when no one else even acknowledges my presence." Draco said, ready to continue but Katelyn stopped him.

"Draco, you don't know how unbelievable happy that makes me. But today, just be here for me and not… romantically. We have plenty of time for that later. I just want to get through today."

"Whatever you need." He replied. The sound of footsteps on the stairs filled the room. Katelyn looked at Draco with reluctance. "Pretend you're asleep. I'll get everything." He said.

"Thank you." She whispered. She put her head down on his arms and Draco didn't even mind the feeling of his hand going numb. Granger appeared, carrying a book bag filled with papers.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! You two skipped class today to do… well, you know, and I ran around getting assignments for both of you because I thought you were ill. Really, Malfoy, I thought even you were above sleeping with a new student that doesn't know what you did." She spat. Draco gulped hard to preserve his face of indifference and tried to remember what he used to sound like.

"Guess I'm not." He drawled, placing his free arm around Katelyn's waist.

"I should report you for this. How on earth did you even get up here? I guess the portrait's malfunctioning." Granger replied.

"I'm a better liar than you thought." He said with a smirk. Granger gave him a death glare.

"Either way, I'm a prefect and I'm not leaving until you do. It's against the rules." She replied.

"Well, we're just about to begin round-" Draco paused, as if to count, "four, so I would suggest that you leave. Unless, that is, you want to watch." He said with an evil smile and a raise of his eyebrows. She turned purple and looked horrified.

"You are vile, Malfoy." She said, before storming out of the dormitory. Once he was sure she was gone he looked down at Katelyn to find her shaking with laughter. He, too, began to laugh with relief both that Katelyn was feeling better and that he was able to laugh after what he had just heard.

"That was some of the greatest acting I have ever heard. Genius." She said, before breaking up into another bout of giggles.

"I would pay money to have a picture of her face. I really would." He replied, smiling and ruffling her hair.

"At least you made yourself sound like the stud- I just sound easy," she complained.

"You should just be lucky that you got to be with someone as utterly exclusive as me." He teased. "I'm just kidding- you're not mad, are you? I could tell her that I was just messing around."

"I'm not mad- I'll get around to telling them eventually. I might be back to square one on friends, though." She said with a smile.

"The Golden Trio is far too noble to judge. You could spin an elaborate story about how I gave you a love potion and coerced you into sleeping with me." He suggested.

"Oh, I think I like that one." Katelyn said, laughing. "Though I'm not sure that I'll entirely be able to pull off the whole "innocent" vibe."

"So, not entirely innocent, are you?" Draco said, his smile widening.

"Well, I wasn't…before." Katelyn said. Draco immediately felt guilty again and his smile dropped off of his face. "I'm sorry- we were having a good time and I had to go and bring it up again."

"No, don't feel bad. It's not your fault, it's mine. I shouldn't have brought it up," Draco apologized. "Look, I would do anything to prevent what happened to you. It infuriates me that I might have met one of them, and that I could have done something to them, to stop it. The whole war turned everything to shit. It really did. And one day soon, you'll be able to be "not innocent" again without thinking about it."

"I hope so." Katelyn said, looking at him sweetly before adding in, "Because you're really hot." She said before breaking out in giggles. He looked at her in surprise before putting his head down on her shoulder and laughing hard.

"Just when I think I've got you figured out," he said, sighing good-naturedly.

"I hope you never do." She said seriously, before snuggling in close to him and putting her head back on his chest. "Now hand me my essay."


End file.
